AIBU to not want to spend my entire Xmas day cooking?

[Honeybooboo123]

last year we had a join family Xmas and expressed this desire to my SIL. I have two DC, she has one. I stated let's make life a bit easy and buy in a few, nice , ready made bits to take the pressure off.

I shit you not, we ended up making everything from scratch. From 7am onwards. Could have cried.

This year, bigger family Xmas, with another family and mum involved, also with two DC.Already getting emails about turkeys and menus.

How to I get across that I DO NOT WANT TO SPEND ALL SODDING XMAS DAY COOKING A MEAL I THEN HAVE NO INTEREST IN EATING

?

Second time lucky?

I prep as much as possible the day before (or earlier), including:

• peel vegetables
• stuff and baste turkey
• boil ham
• breadcrumbs
• gravy from giblets
• crockery sorted

On the day, turkey goes in 7ish and I go back to bed Then nothing much needs to be done until 10:30 (turn turkey). Relax Full on from 11:45ish Dish up at 1pm.

DH prefers shop bought cranberry sauce, and we don't do starters.

Sorry Honeyboo I still don’t get it.
Why should the loss of 2 loved ones since last Christmas have to be marked by you being miserable at having to peel loads of vegetables 🤷‍♀️
Buy cranberry sauce , prep veg the night before , stick it in the oven on the day , then raise a glass in their memory.

Another one bewildered by the fact that none of the men seem to be cooking.

Long rather tragic story where two of the people there last year are no longer around this year.

I don't really understand the significance of that? Would they have wanted you to spend al Christmas this year in the kitchen?

Maybe the two who are sadly no longer here would have helped with the cooking thus easing the load for OP? Whatever happens OP I hope you have a stress free Christmas.

Like other posters, I do as much as I can before the actual day. I make and freeze the spiced red cabbage, peel and freeze the chestnuts, make and freeze breadcrumbs and stock for gravy. On Christmas Eve, I make the stuffing, and stuff the goose, make the bread sauce, apple sauce and gravy to go with it, peel and prepare the potatoes, sprouts and parsnips, and make the brandy butter. I put the veg in cold water, and put this all in the conservatory which is cold, and where the dogs can't help themselves!

I even boil and glaze a gammon, which is served cold on Boxing Day, with coleslaw and baked potatoes, so there's not much cooking to do that day, when I really appreciate a day off!

I have checklists (on the computer - sad, I know) so I can make sure I've done everything.

Prep the day before with Christmassy films/radio on. All veg is peeled and prepped, sausages & bacon rolls cooked, gravy defrosted (have a roast chicken a week or two in advance and make gravy from that).

Christmas day is bunging the turkey on early, red cabbage/leeks in slow cooker and make a dessert like trifle/roulade (total time less than an hour), then cooking starts about 12.

Boil spuds for roasting.

When meat comes out, roast tats/nips go in along with anything else oven cooked - stuffing, veg etc.

As someone is serving starters, potato for mash goes on. You'll be last to the table for starters and first to leave, but then others clear while you put boiled veg on for a few minutes and microwave stuff and start sending stuff out to the table.

It really shouldn't take too much of your time and because you cooked, you don't need to clear or wash.

Well a big turkey would take 2-3 hours and roast potatoes are usually done afterwards while the turkey is resting so that's your 4 hours there.

But the thing about doing a roast is that you bung it in the oven and leave it to, well, roast whilst you go and do other things, like opening presents, drinking some fizz or going out for a walk. You don't have to watch the turkey for 2-3 hours.

Seriously, a Christmas lunch is a normal roast with cranberry sauce - either from a jar, or freshly made, but made a few days before and re-heated. Hardest thing to juggle is the right time to put the Yorkshires in.

I get that some people find cooking a chore, but I like cooking in holiday periods for lots of people. I get to indulge in what I want to eat, have the extra time to do things that require a bit more work, or just longer in the oven, and it's great fun preparing, cooking and eating food with other people.

I love doing all the prep on Christmas Eve, Christmas music and lots of wine to keep me company!

Do you have a COOK shop near you? Frozen but all home made by someone - just not you! I've already ordered my stuffed turkey for 2 (everyone else is veggie!)

Christmas morning is always a working morning for DH and both DC so I always buy a massive pre stuffed turkey breast that can be wrapped in foil and chucked in the bottom of the oven and left to its own devices - I also do the Delia mixed roast root veg as it makes life much easier having one dish rather than multiple pans. Everyone mucks in to prep all the veg the night before with lots of fizz and Carols from Kings.
I usually buy a naice Xmas pud that can go in the oven when we're eating the turkey. All the trimmings are bought from M&S so that I don't have to faff.
We don't eat until 4ish though so I have a big pot of soup and some french bread in the kitchen that people can hep themselves to if they're hungry.
I don't spend more than an hour in the kitchen on Christmas Day - and I'm usually pretty "relaxed" so not working like a dervish either...

We're doing the dinner Christmas eve :)

Christmas day - Leftovers/bung in the oven M&S bits, minimal effort, no-one left out, TV on, games out, presents

Maximum energy for Boxing day

Cook & carve the turkey Xmas Eve (stuffing cooked in the turkey) - enjoy turkey butty while watching American football on Xmas Eve evening. Frozen roast potatoes & M&S pigs in blankets cooked in disposable foil trays on the day, easy-peasy and no washing up caused. The only prep needed is chopping some veg in the morning - a few mins. And parboiling parsnips for roasting (if I don't cheat & use Aunt Bessie's). All the plates & cutlery etc. are got out on C Eve, ready to put on table the next morning (can't be earlier due to cat!)
It's the running round hoovering pre-visitors & fitting in dog walks etc that stresses me out.

Nope it’s on Christmas Day. It’s a little place around the corner from us. They keep the place open for people who may be alone at Christmas so they have a decent meal, but anyone is welcome and that is the price. You get turkey and ham with cranberry sauce, mash, veg, roast potatoes that I can remember. Then a desert there is about three options I think. I’m really looking forward to it.

I just bought a hostess trolley which I think is gona help a lot with this.

Cooking everything from scratch at Christmas is a mugs game.

Like cranberry sauce...will cost you a shit load of time to prepare something which is just as good bought ready made in a jar...it's not even cheaper to make your own.

Ditto mince pies, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding. The cost alone of ingredients for a Christmas pudding wouldn't make it worth it.

Delegate dishes to each person. Buy all yours ready made then sit drinking prosecco whilst they all rush round on the day!

I sympathise, and fully understand how it can take seven hours! I do usually end up in and out of the kitchen from around 5.30 on Christmas morning but that's my choice (actually it's my bloody retreat!). Pre-order what you can, what you can't give yourself as much of a head start as you can. Christmas puddings etc... that are done weeks in advance, simple starters like melon or seafood cocktail, peel and chop veggies night before and have turkey already stuffed, buttered and bacon on so it's ready to go in. At least that way you're nipping in and out rather than a slave to it :)

If people want to fart around with homemade cranberry sauce they can do it in advance and bring it with them.

I would've thought most people who make homemade cranberry sauce etc do it in advance.

I cook the Turkey on Christmas Eve. Let it cool and carve it. I also make the gravy. DD does the veg (carrots and sprouts), plus she preps the pigs in blankets. DP sets the table Christmas Eve too and gets out the serving dishes and spoons.
Then Christmas morning we go to the pub (I say morning, I mean about 11.30 after Church) as we meet DMIL there, have a glass of something and walk home.
I peel the spuds that morning.
All that needs doing is parboiling then roasting the potatoes, stick the veg in the steamer and putting the turkey in some foil and reheating it in the oven. I do though buy some ready made bread sauce, sweet potato mash and sausage meat stuffing in a foil tray so they just need nuked or stuck in the oven for 30 mins.
We start with nibbly bits, ready made prawn cocktail on blinis is really easy and this year we're having the M and S Christmas Roulade for pudding.
It can be as difficult or easy as you make it.
I do spend a fair bit if time in the kitchen on Christmas Eve but I like it, radio on, glass of sherry in hand, it gets me all Christmassy.

7 hrs?

Are you hunting the turkey yourself?

No dinner needs to take 7hrs. Cranberry sauce takes about 15 minutes and you don’t have to make it all yourself anyway!

Fucking hell.

Everyone chips in at ours! Dh is on gravy and meat, I do cauliflower cheese, sauces, yorkies, dds do side bits and green veg. It's fun! We have the telly on and wine!

we start on Christmas Eve....everyone in the house is involved in Getting Ready For TOMORROW!

So tasks from sorting out the fires/wood/kindling to dogwalking to filling the fridge to sorting a big bucket for bottles that won't go in the fridge, to prepping veg, to last minute wrapping all get delegated in order of priority
we also commence the festive drinking so the most essential things have to be done first just in case of over indulgence. :o

And on the day it is really just a question of throwing the oven on as soon as I am up and then stuff is in and out with the aim for lunch at 2ish. People will be summonsed to assist with asst washing up, bottle opening, table laying etc ,there is no option to refuse but mostly I like pottering in the kitchen with a glass in my hand, and swanning about topping up other people's drinks and being a domestic goddess a la Nigella

And then I do not cook for at least two days...cold cuts and fridge raiding only. :o

The trick is that everyone MUST be involved otherwise it does end up in martyrdom and weeping with resentment in the kitchen. And everyone knows that Christmas can be hard work, so anyone not prepared to be helpful can fuckrightoff.

StatueInTheSky now thats Christmas! Lovely

Like cranberry sauce...will cost you a shit load of time to prepare something which is just as good bought ready made in a jar...it's not even cheaper to make your own

Delia Smith cranberry relish takes 10 mins - the ready made stuff is revolting - too sweet and no flavour. No comparison. I make it a week in advance with loads of port, cinammon and orange zest.

And what's all this cauliflower cheese on Christmas day!!? It's an informal supper dish.

We have beef on Xmas day and always have cauliflower cheese with it.